divinity

Etymology

From Old French divinité, from Latin divinitas. Composed of divine + -ity. Displaced native Old English godcundnes.

noun

1. (uncountable) The state, position, or fact of being a god or God. [from 14th c.]
   They say there is divinity in odd numbers. a. 1598, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, act V, scene I
2. (countable) Synonym of deity.
   You may leave out where you live and use either initials or an alias, since gods, buddhas and other divinities look only at our hearts.
   At the base of the whole process by which divinities and demons were created, and rites for their propitiation and placation established, lay Fear - fear stimulating the imagination to fantastic activity. 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 13
3. A celestial being inferior to a supreme God but superior to man.
   These beings are derogatory from the wisdom and power of the author of nature, who doubtless can govern this machin he cou’d create, by more direct and easie methods, than employing these subservient divinities. 1705, George Cheyne, The Philosophical Principles of Religion Natural and Revealed, volume 1, London, page 4
4. (uncountable) The study of religion or religions.
   Harvard Divinity School has been teaching theology since 1636.
5. A type of confectionery made with egg whites, corn syrup, and white sugar.
   Coordinate term: seafoam